Parties play politics as aam aadmi suffers

Mumbai: Political protests over potholes on city roads have become more of a photo-opportunity rather than a genuine attempt to solve the issue. All parties, including the ruling allies who are supposed to solve the problem, are merely paying lip service in the name of these agitations.

While the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have launched campaigns against the craters, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena, too, have indulged in “whataboutery” even as the lay public laughs at this political tamasha.

As part of their protest over potholes, twelve workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) dug up the road in front of Mantr-alaya Monday night. However, they ended up creating more potholes. Yet, MNS chief Raj Thackeray supported his workers saying that “the blind government would come to know the problem now”. His party workers from Turbhe and Navi Mumbai ransacked the public works department office the same day.

Earlier, MNS workers made a PWD contractor and in-charge of the site who was allegedly drunk while repairing pothole-ridden roads do sit-ups.  Before the MNS, the Mumbai Congress was the first to launch a campaign against potholes, calling it “Aao potholes gine”, meaning “let’s count the number of potholes” to shame the civic body over the issue.  Mumbai Congr-ess chief Sanjay Niru-pam launched the campaign from Sion last week. Thereafter, the NCP Mumbai branch launched the second protest with its chief Sachin Ahir calling it “name the pothole”. Mr Ahir’s workers reached out to every ward for the campaign.

While it is no surprise that opposition parties protested the potholes, even the ruling allies, BJP and Sena, took to the streets to protest the problem. BJP workers in Dharavi held a protest against a local Sena MP, a Congress MLA, and corporators. While Sena held a protest against the BJP in wards helmed by BJP councillors.